Attitude Adjustments! (please share YOURS)

Snowflake1968

susanmc31 wrote: »

I needed an attitude change so I started a gratitude journal that I do every night and fill in 3 things that I'm grateful for that happened during that particular day. Funny, when you start looking for the good in the day your whole attitude can change.

I did the same thing, it has made such a difference in my life. Not just the weight loss, but my relationships, my peace and mental well being.

nicholeunt

For me the biggest change came from an old boss who told me to stop trying to restrict foods and focus on adding healthy foods. So I eat whatever I want in moderation but if I want seconds I'll eat something healthy (veggies/fruit) and drink water and if I still want more I have more. It is so much more enjoyable than cutting out all the food I love.

RelCanonical

I finally realized that the only one that actually has to care about my success is me. I was the type who only took care of myself when I had to show myself to the world, and my life was a constant comparison game. I got it through my head (it wasn't a simple click, I just had lots of time to practice and lots of therapy to help) that nobody else has to care - the only factor in whether I was actually succeeding how much I cared about myself. I started practicing self-care even when I didn't have to, and the better I felt doing that, the more it all started to come together. I'm by no means perfect, but I've gotten good enough that the good days have started to outnumber the bad when it comes to my self-image.

jryepin93

I really pay attention to my hunger cues now, which is something I used to ignore. I've also stopped giving myself a certain number of weeks/months/days to lose weight and it feels a lot more natural. It's taken me almost 4 months to lose 15 lbs and I'm fine with it. I know that I'm making progress every single day! There really is no "giving up" anymore, I'm just living now if that makes sense. I also never restrict foods! I love food too much to give anything up lol I am not perfect, I'm not on a diet, I just like to believe I'm making choices to help my body and mind feel better.

lunarlake

IHaveMyActTogether wrote: »

I used to check my weight multiple times a day, looking for when it would "work."

I will tell you one thing: it gets EASIER. The power of habit kicks in and you are automatically doing the things you need to do to lose weight. Just as I used to mindlessly order the same number on the drive-thru menu is the same way I now mindlessly get ready to go to the gym. And when that happens - when you automatically reach for the healthier option or automatically portion a smaller amount, or automatically start getting in your exercise, that is where the results start showing.

It gets easier the longer you do it. So don't quit.

Reading this has helped me so much today - thank you! It perfectly sums up the approach I’ve been slowly working towards, as I also have that big internal child making a noise over it being “so hard”. The truth is that I am lucky that my body is strong enough to let me work out, and I get to eat great nourishing food - that awareness is usually enough to keep that internal child quiet and the adult me focused on the prize.... but not always 🙂. Sometimes what’s needed is to read a thoughtful and very positive post like yours.

ghudson92

I have to be aware of two destructive narratives in my head. The first one wants me to stay at home and scroll through the forums instead of going to the gym, that voice tells me "there's always tomorrow". The second voice is an impatient one that compares me to other people and makes me feel frustrated I don't look like they do. If I listen to either of these narratives, nothing gets done and I feel crap all day.

I just say to myself now that I can either waste time over thinking or I can get up and do the thing. Once I've done the thing, I feel great, I feel accomplished. So far I have managed to get to the gym consistently for five weeks running by acting instead of thinking. There have been days where the destructive narratives have won, but I've managed to get up and go the next day which is huge for me (I'm a serial procrastinator). Another thing that has helped is telling my fiancé which days I'm planning on working out, he knows what I'm like so will ring me at midday and ask if I went to the gym yet.

23rochelle23

Lots of things. Part of which is reminding myself that this isn’t hard, this is easy.. I know exactly what I have to do to lose fat, and when I do it, I lose fat.. it’s literally that simple.

Yes, taller people get more calories, as do people with more to lose, as do males, as do people who work out more than I do... but it’s a simple math equation. I have set mfp up to reflect that (I have my maintenance calories set as my daily total and whatever is ‘leftover’ is fat loss... 7700 calories leftover (whether it be over a week or a month) is 1kg... I’d rather it be over a week or two than a month or two so I find myself getting more creative with cutting calories).

What I do find is that this is boring... it seems like it will go on FOREVER... and so I change things up, I eat different food (as long as I hit my protein goal then I’m happy), I changed my workout plan to one which progresses every workout (StrongLifts), I have found low cal alternatives - reduced fat spray cream on my fruit saves me 40odd cals, shiritaki noodles instead of rice noodles in my soup saves me 150 odd, cauliflower rice saves me 100 or so cal.. if I do all three of those in one day then it’s 300cal... and I can eat something delicious like a wispa bar or two instead 😉 or that’s a 2000 cal saving a week... which is .25kg... it all adds up.

I’m eating better and more varied foods because it means I can eat more in my calorie allowance, I exercise to become strong because muscle looks good, it prevents bone density loss, it’s important for my work to prevent injuries, and it’s bad *kitten* to surprise people when I can lift heavy stuff as a short female and I keep reminding myself that the more I get off my *kitten* and do these things... the less time it will take, the more it will become habit (so I don’t have to focus on it so much) and the less bored of it I will be

Rocknut53

potokat wrote: »

"What are some bad attitudes you had to overcome? How did you change your thinking, or what do you tell yourself that helps you lose weight?"
I'm 39, lost almost 60 pounds over the last 2.5 years, former yo-yo dieter. One of the big reasons I decided I had to change is because I was tired of being tired. I live in Colorado, land of people who are super fit, and I couldn't even walk down the street without being out of breath. At 37 I decided I wanted to learn to snowboard, and there were days I'd go down the bunny hill once and be done, because I didn't have the stamina to continue. I took a long look at what I wanted to be able to do, and whether or not my sedentary life of Taco Bell, craft beer, and Diablo was making me truly happy. Short answer: no. It helped that my parents are in terrible shape, refuse to exercise, and continue to eat garbage. My dad is on so many medications I've lost track, and everything started to go downhill for him in his early 40s, which isn't too far off for me. So I had all kinds of motivation of the negative sort. Not gonna lie, those first six months of exercising SUCKED. I cried almost every workout, everything was super hard, and I kept telling myself that it was punishment for all the years I sat on my butt and did nothing. I kept asking people when it would stop feeling like torture. I wanted to quit, but I'm also stubborn, and had vowed to make a change, and I knew what the alternative was. The fact that things were so hard for me really drove home how much harder life was going to be as I aged if I didn't follow through with this change. So I kept at it. And six months is about when stuff started to suck a little less. Still couldn't do a push-up, but I could do them from my knees, which was better than the wall push-ups I started with. It was those little victories I held on to, as well as the weight loss that happened, that kept me motivated for awhile. That helped change the internal monologue from "This is torture, I deserve this" to "Holy *kitten*, LOOK WHAT I CAN DO NOW that I couldn't do before! This sucks WAY less than it did at first!"
With regard to nutrition, I remind myself that food isn't going to make me feel better. Food isn't going to take my stress away - it's just going to cause a different type of stress, and I don't need any more than I already have. I'm not perfect - there are periodic KitKat binges, and those stupid flavored Oreos are super dangerous - but I'm learning to moderate more than I have in the past, and I don't use them as rewards or punishments - they are food. I log them, and I move on with my life.
Wow, this got long.

Your story is my story, only I'm almost 65 wishing I had done this when I was 39. Believe me, I tried over the years, then just gave up. In my early 60's it all caught up with me. My hips and knees hurt, I was on cholesterol and acid reflux meds, all of this in spite of being very physically active with hiking, skiing and such. 2018 has been a tough year for me emotionally and I back slid a bit, but I'm back on track now. I'm from Montana, also full of very fit people, people who I thought looked anorexic until I lost 60 pounds and realized that is what normal looks like. Good for you, learning from your parents health issues and realizing early on that was going to be your path if you didn't change. My lifestyle change has allowed me to eliminate all my meds and to be able to hike and ski without my knees screaming at me. Keep up the good work!

Scubdup

When is the best time to plant a tree? - 20 years ago.
When is the next best time to plant a tree? - Today.

JessiBelleW

23rochelle23 wrote: »

Lots of things. Part of which is reminding myself that this isn’t hard, this is easy.. I know exactly what I have to do to lose fat, and when I do it, I lose fat.. it’s literally that simple.

Yes, taller people get more calories, as do people with more to lose, as do males, as do people who work out more than I do... but it’s a simple math equation. I have set mfp up to reflect that (I have my maintenance calories set as my daily total and whatever is ‘leftover’ is fat loss... 7700 calories leftover (whether it be over a week or a month) is 1kg... I’d rather it be over a week or two than a month or two so I find myself getting more creative with cutting calories).

What I do find is that this is boring... it seems like it will go on FOREVER... and so I change things up, I eat different food (as long as I hit my protein goal then I’m happy), I changed my workout plan to one which progresses every workout (StrongLifts), I have found low cal alternatives - reduced fat spray cream on my fruit saves me 40odd cals, shiritaki noodles instead of rice noodles in my soup saves me 150 odd, cauliflower rice saves me 100 or so cal.. if I do all three of those in one day then it’s 300cal... and I can eat something delicious like a wispa bar or two instead 😉 or that’s a 2000 cal saving a week... which is .25kg... it all adds up.

I’m eating better and more varied foods because it means I can eat more in my calorie allowance, I exercise to become strong because muscle looks good, it prevents bone density loss, it’s important for my work to prevent injuries, and it’s bad *kitten* to surprise people when I can lift heavy stuff as a short female and I keep reminding myself that the more I get off my *kitten* and do these things... the less time it will take, the more it will become habit (so I don’t have to focus on it so much) and the less bored of it I will be

@23rochelle23 - I am really enjoying this statement. Thats a really good way of looking at it!

becca_rup23

An epiphany I had today (which I've had before I'm sure but not recently) is that if I keep eating the way I have been, I'm going to be like I've always been - overweight. If I change my eating, I can change what my body is like. Seems so obvious but sometimes changing mindset takes a while I guess..

kdbulger

Lately I've been reminding myself of how much BETTER I feel when I exercise and eat well. Physically and mentally. So I remind myself that I am WORTH the effort it takes to feel well.

And when I start overthinking things, I tell myself, Don't think, just DO. That is how I got here, 43 lbs lighter. I stopped thinking about doing the things and I just did them. Sometimes while grumbling about it, but it became non-negotiable.

AmyC2288

The biggest thing for me so far has been overcoming my attitude about the gym. I was SO terrified of going at first because I was overly concerned about what people would think of me/that I didn't belong/would look ridiculous etc...

-32 lbs later and I actually enjoy going now which is something I never thought I would say! I can see myself continuing to go long term which is really exciting as I know this will help bring me much closer to reaching my goals!

LiLee2018

I'm still on my weight loss journey, but my attitude has completely changed from previous attempts.
I stopped being an 'all or nothing' girl. I'd cheat before and then have the mindset of.. oh.. well I already ruined the diet, might as well just eat all the junk again.
I was actually afraid of that happening again this time, so I didn't have a single cheat for a long time until last week... and then the next day I hopped right back on my diet.

And I also look at junk food a little different. I do still crave some of it, but I tell myself that.. it's not going anywhere. That junk food is still going to be there once I'm in maintenance and can finally eat some of it in moderation.

And when I'm feeling intimidated by how much I still need to lose or how long it may take... it's nothing compared to living the rest of my life healthy and happy with myself. I can either continue being miserable and hating what I see in the mirror, or I can take this year or so to finally do something about it. No more excuses, no more self pity.

mathdad41

Phil 4:13

williamgowjr

I make everything a “mental game” with life changing detours. I quit smoking years ago by telling myself that cigarettes were foul, disgusting smelling things (they actually are though ). I quit cold turkey with no issues because I had set myself up mentally. The smell actually turned my stomach. But I gained 80 pounds in 6 months so I restarted. Ok, time to try another angle here… Loss the weight, establish good eating habits and kick the habit once again.
With weight loss, I do the same psych approach. I have convinced myself that soda is disgusting and that certain foods that I used to love are just not as tasty anymore. I have lost 52+ pounds in 3 months (35 of those were within 60 days) by telling myself this so I am a firm believer in mentally messing with your brain as it does wonders! 

DW1Texas

AmyC2288 wrote: »

The biggest thing for me so far has been overcoming my attitude about the gym. I was SO terrified of going at first because I was overly concerned about what people would think of me/that I didn't belong/would look ridiculous etc...

-32 lbs later and I actually enjoy going now which is something I never thought I would say! I can see myself continuing to go long term which is really exciting as I know this will help bring me much closer to reaching my goals!

THIS!